06/08/2026
While the Summit Creek fire is taking place outside of our Area of Operations, the Sawtooth U.S. Forest Service-Sawtooth National Forest put together a great summary of the different types of attack crews used for fire suppression on a major event - check out this post below to learn a little bit about how they use the right tools for the right job!
We have seen some comments and questions on our other posts about the that warrant responses, so we will be posting here on our page for everyone’s benefit. The next topic we’d like to address is use of aviation resources on this fire.
Aviation resources—like air tankers, helicopters, and water-scoopers—are powerful tools, but their primary role is to support the crews working directly on the ground. They do this by slowing fire spread and cooling hot spots.
Fire retardant acts as a barrier to slow a wildfire's forward progress. This vital window may provide the ground crews the time they need to safely engage and build containment lines.
When helicopters or water-scooping planes drop high volumes of water, they can lower fire intensity. This may provide firefighters the opportunity to move in and work directly on the fire line or strengthen indirect confinement features.
While dramatic drops of water and retardant can play an important role in suppression efforts, aircraft alone typically do not extinguish a wildfire. Just like putting out a campfire, completely securing a fire requires a hands-on process. Aviation resources can slow fire progression from above, but ground crews must follow up to secure the areas by constructing containment lines, scraping away embers, and physically feeling for remaining heat to ensure the fire is truly out.
Additionally, aircraft and ground crews can’t always operate in the same space at the same time. When aircraft are overhead, firefighters on the ground often have to pause their work and move out of the area for their safety.
Every fire presents a unique puzzle, and our incident management teams carefully evaluate which tool is best suited for each specific mission. Because aviation assets are both highly specialized, in high demand, and expensive to deploy, we strategically use them when and where they will have the greatest impact, ensuring we balance operational effectiveness with responsible resource management.
